A Brief History of the Metropolitan Community Church of Dallas Page: 19 of 28
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God's Choir
20 April 1974
Again, Troy Perry planned a Dallas visit. The gutsy MCC choir
was determined to give its best-ever performance. What would we sing?
For Perry we wanted something big! Something special! Well, it just so
happened that a certain minister, in a certain wealthy fundamentalist
church (the First Baptist Church of Dallas), had just returned from Europe with a
splendid new anthem entitled God's Choir. This very large church with
several choirs and with an orchestra of professional quality planned to give
the American premiere' of that mighty anthem. Our organist asked their
music director if, after the premiere, the MCC Choir could borrow the
music --it's not uncommon for churches to lend each other music. The
director, looking down his nose said, "We don't lend music to a queer
choir."
Well, that's the one thing he shouldn't have said, for "we are
everywhere!" Just how many of his congregation did he suppose were
gay, especially among his singers and musicians? Somehow a copy of that
music came to the MCC choir. Somehow xeroxed copies were made and
the original music immediately returned to its rightful place. Then, Andy
called special rehearsals and worked our butts off.
The next Sunday the 12-voice choir rose, took a deep breath while
the opening measures poured from our piano and organ, and on the
downbeat every voice came in full and strong. A few measures more and
the choir pulled back to hardly more than a hushed whisper, pianissimo.
From there the singers broadly built the music to a grand andante
moderato. For several minutes a majestic, glorious sound filled the
sanctuary. Near the end, the music swelled, then swelled even greater,
fortissimo, And it was as if the heavens had split open and God's choir
was singing rapturously! And then...it was over.
The congregation sat in revered silence for just a moment. Then
there was an explosion of applause and cheers. Yes, it's true, you're not
suppose to applaud in church, but surely it was justified this time. Tears of
joy filled the eyes of ever member of the church and the choir. Even big,
bad and butch Troy Perry was visibly moved. Oh, we were so proud of
our music and of our new church home. Even more, we were proud to be
gays and lesbians. "We were not afraid anymore."
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A Brief History of the Metropolitan Community Church of Dallas, letter, August 19, 1992; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc947235/m1/19/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.